the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us,  we went on an outing to 
 the  glass factory that  bore our family 
 name. it had changed  owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood   abandoned  for  a   long  while. 
 finally, the  natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings  that  survive: a museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a long  time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many,  we  would be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are  two main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several  floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but narrow  windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass,  of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen.  a bit too dark to be 
 practical.  on  the  eastern   building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is publicly  open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures of  my great 
 great  great grandfather,  or something. 
 various  tools (or replicas) laid out on 
 tables, with  explaining texts. a lot of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out, and climb  into the 
 other    building.   the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a   long  time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all   over  the  floor.  no 
 electric lights, but i  can see  by  the 
 light that shines  in wherever the  dark 
 windows    are     missing    a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the  greatest difference is the 
 higher  floors: this building  has none. 
 it is one massive hall, stretching  away 
 infinitely  above me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where  chains are suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the middle  of  the great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral   staircase  that 
 leads up there. i sneak over  there, and 
 take  a  few reluctant steps. after just 
 a  revolution, i  notice  that  for each 
 step  the building starts to  glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a dark  red,  and  then 
 orange,  all  the piled up  debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop  ready  to run down and out,  but 
 there's  someone else on  the  staircase 
 with  me   now,  pressed   close.   he's 
 looking like  me,  short  hair and  thin 
 arms,  but  with ears from some  animal, 
 and  more disturbingly, completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my fear  holds  me  in  place  while  he 
 starts operating  levers  and dials  set 
 in  the center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts spinning,  circling  upwards. 
 it's  an  elevator!  i   start   to  run 
 downwards,  but   now  the   liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold of me.  i  try  to 
 shake  him off, but he's too strong, and 
 pulls   me    back   up    beside   him. 
                                          
 this time,  i  turn  angry instead. what 
 the hell? who is  this guy, acting  like 
 this? i reach out my  free arm and  slam 
 a  random   lever.  some  metal  bar  is 
 suddenly  released  between  us, hitting 
 him  on  the arm, forcing my  release. i 
 shove him off  of  me, and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,   a  thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain  is dropped around  me. but  the 
 elevator  also speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the   walls  are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue. i close my  eyes and 
 curl into  a ball. but  then,  the glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces my eyes  back open. i watch as he 
 becomes  too liquid,  his  body  pooling 
 down  in his now  massive  tail, and the 
 tip of  it suddenly breaks of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward   the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling on  the stairs, unable  to 
 keep  his body upright. can't reach  the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body  is  turning into  dark 
 pearls.  finally, he's  lost too much of 
 himself and  the  scream is  cut  short. 
 the    last    of   him    rains   down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach  the levers  from 
 within  my cage. looking  up, i  try  to 
 make out  the  ceiling,  but it's  all a 
 whirling  sea of colours. below me glows 
 the  hellfire of the factory  walls, but 
 very faint.  i sit  down, curl back  up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a large  clunk  shakes  my entire  body, 
 and  snaps me  back  into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still   moving  slightly, 
 clicking in place, carrying me  the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i  slowly   dismount  the   stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying, i  make my way  over 
 the factory floor,  wading through  dark 
 glass marbles. a quick glance  down, and 
 i  see  there's  something faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?    are   these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.